In 1968, being young and restless, I got a job in St Croix, USVI, and left T&T for good. (Except for visits, of course)Knowing what a sweet, kind, loving people we Trinis are, I naively assumed that we were universally loved by all.To my chagrin, I found that not to be the case.Many of the other islanders thought of us as "Trickydadians", as in "Dem Trickidadian rass, dey tink dey smarter than everybody, with dey mout' full of gold teeth……".I soon observed that the gold teeth part was true, as I noticed that many Trinidadians, as was the style back then, had some gold in their mouths, and that included yours truly.But smart ? Tricky?In Caribbean speech, a 'smartman" is also a term for a conman. and every Trinidadian knows who the biggest "smartmen" in the Caribbean are.They are the Bajans, of course. As far as we are concerned, they are legendary smartmen.Why, to prove it, I could tell you a story……….Better yet, I'll let the Grand Master himself tell the story. He's a better storyteller than I am.So here is Lord Kitchener , backed by the big sound of the Ron Berridge band, and "Take yuh meat out me rice"
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Thanks for the personal anecdote, Glenroy, but negative references by VI folk is not reserved only for Trinidadians. There is a resentment by some here (not all) for those with "foreign" accents. One of my brothers was born in St. Thomas, spent his early years in St. Kitts, then returned to St. Thomas to attend High School, and then UVI. Well, after 30+ years of teaching here, he is still referred to as "Garrot" because of his accent.
Please post, as a follow-up, "Revenge For Trini" by Lord Kitchener, from his Hot Pants LP. Perhaps Trini's are "resourceful" !!!
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Thanks for the personal anecdote, Glenroy, but negative references by VI folk is not reserved only for Trinidadians. There is a resentment by some here (not all) for those with "foreign" accents. One of my brothers was born in St. Thomas, spent his early years in St. Kitts, then returned to St. Thomas to attend High School, and then UVI. Well, after 30+ years of teaching here, he is still referred to as "Garrot" because of his accent.
Please post, as a follow-up, "Revenge For Trini" by Lord Kitchener, from his Hot Pants LP. Perhaps Trini's are "resourceful" !!!